Nintendo Makes Games, Not Art According to Iwata

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata emphasized the importance of customer satisfaction versus making 'art' in a recent three-part interview with Toyo Keizai Online. The original article was partially summarized and translated by Kotaku.

"Nintendo developers are extremely insatiable when it comes to whether what they make resonates with customers or not. They'll do anything to achieve it." Iwata said. "Both [Shigeru] Miyamoto and I repeatedly say, 'It's not like we are making pieces of art, the point is to make a product that resonates with and is accepted by customers.'"

Iwata carefully explained his position on development and Nintendo's role as an entertainment company. "Creating is like an expression of egoism. People with a strong energy to create something have a 'this is the strength I believe is right' sort of confidence to start from. Their standpoint is that 'this is the right thing to do, so this must be what's good for the customer as well.' But the final goal of a product is to resonate with and be accepted by people. You can't just force your way through. By saying 'the point is to be accepted' I mean, if you go to a customer with your idea and you realize they don't understand it, it's more important that they do and you should shift your idea."

Jose Otero is an Associate Editor at IGN and hosts the weekly podcast, Nintendo Voice Chat. Follow him on twitter to learn more about his other passions.